PROFESSOR LED UNIVERSITY STUDY ABROAD TRIPS
CREA, a leading conservation and education non-profit organization has been running tailored study abroad trips in Panama since 2007 (e.g. for Virginia Tech., Austin College, Warren Wilson College, Harvard etc) . CREA, founded by biologists, is a one stop shop and can organize (and recommend) every aspect of the study abroad trip while in Panama, depending on the focus of each group. CREA is happy to supply references for anyone interested in us supporting you in the design of your next trip.
Why Panama?
- Panama is a tropical humid country with easy access to various tropical ecosystems from coral reefs to cloud forests.
- Panama has a rich cultural history, with indigenous as well as a mixture of colonial histories and peoples.
- The Panama Canal is an engineering marvel as well as a global economic driver. It also has a complex conservation and cultural /political story.
- Panama suffers from many of the aspects of any developing nation balancing a biologically diverse environment with the need for human development and hence is a good global model for the purposes of teaching.
- Panama is small and internal communication is relatively easy, eliminating the need for long distance internal travel.
- Panama uses the US dollar.
Why CREA?
- CREA owns and operates the Cocobolo Nature Reserve and Biological Field Station situated in a hyper species-rich region with various forest types with limitless teaching and research possibilities.
- CREA has biological faculty of its own that can teach or facilitate teaching material while at the field station.
- CREA has active conservation /research projects at the Reserve within which students can participate.
EXAMPLE 13 DAY ITINERARY
- Days 1 – 3: Panama City. Learn about the history and economic importance of the canal. We visit the Canal and the old Spanish Quarters (Casco Viejo) and spend a day at the Emberaa village (accessible only by boat)!
- Day 4: Travel to the Cocobolo Nature Reserve and field station at the in 4×4. Orientation and lectures.
- Day 5: Hike through the rain forest with local guides, visit spectacular landscapes, set up cameras in the forest. Assist with wildlife inventories and GPS mapping. with local scientists.
- Day 6: Work with researchers with mist netting, wildlife inventories, and wildlife cameras.
- Day 7: Tropical forest exercise / tree mapping. Service learning opportunities.
- Day 8: Visit subsistence farms and nearby villages. Meet families and participate in farm activities. Hike to the river for a swim.
- Day 9: Pack up and travel by road and boat to Guna Yala (the San Blas Islands). Learn about the history, culture and modern challenges facing this indigenous group. Sleep in huts on Kuna Yala.
- Day 10-11: Visit other remote islands by boat. Snorkel and enjoy.
- Day 12: Return to Panama City. Wrap up session and dinner on the Causeway.
- Day 13: Return home!
HIGH SCHOOLS
We also work with high schools, grades 10 and above. Involving school age children in environmental issues and preparing them for a changing world is key to their future and the sustainable future of the planet. CREA invites schools from the US and around the world to visit the Cocobolo Biological Field Station at the Cocobolo Nature Reserve in Panama. CREA’s academics work with school educators to develop a customized curriculum that converts what gets taught in the classroom into a real life experience for their students. We believe this has the potential to foster in students a strong foundation in responsibility and compassion and the ability to develop the self-confidence to become agents of social change. Contact us to discuss your trip.
“I have had the opportunity to travel with students to numerous countries in Central and South America. I had been searching for a location and organization to partner with where my students could engage in meaningful scientific research and interact with students from local communities. I have finally found the perfect partnership with CREA and have been visiting the Cocobolo Nature Reserve with my students for the past 10 years.”
Laurie Doss, Science teacher, Marvelwood School, Connecticut, U.S.A.